Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Through Glass is a journey into fear, loneliness, and despair as apocalyptic monsters begin a systematic takeover, quickly putting the surviving humans under their full control. The story begins full of hope, as young lovers, Lex & Cohen, are just discovering one another when suddenly the bottom drops out of their world and they find themselves trapped in their homes by strange and vicious monsters. They are forced to stand idly by as death rains down from above destroying everything they have ever known and leaving them only able to communicate with one another through the glass panes of their windows because to step outside would mean certain death.

The Ulama, the unnatural creatures bent on the world’s destruction, were terrifying yet so incredibly strange that it was difficult to understand what they were or what their purpose was. One thing was clear, these things were effective, shutting down any resistance with brutality and complete annihilation leaving any survivors in complete darkness and dependent solely on them for food and water. Lex’s fear and hopelessness was palpable throughout the story as she struggled just to live from day to day, not understanding why this was happening and with no end in sight. Her only solace was being able to see Cohen through her bedroom window each day and the encouragement they gave to one another to keep going.

I enjoyed the way the author built a sense of dread for the reader by making the Ulama so unpredictable and allowing the main characters to be harmed, not assuring the reader of a Happy Ending. I always prefer this kind of realistic desperation in a post-apocalyptic story because it pulls me in and makes it so much more believable. I find myself feeling panicked for the characters in an actual physical way, my heart starts racing and I’m practically yelling at the book “no, don’t do that!” or “Grab the lamp!!” because I’m just so invested in the story and real possibility of them coming to harm.

While there were certain aspects of the world building, which I felt was pretty choppy in the beginning and the writing style and flow that didn’t necessarily work for me, the story itself was so riveting that these things were very easy to overlook and are really just a matter of personal preference anyway. I would definitely recommend this to fans of horror and sci-fi with a post-apocalyptic theme. The Ulama were very original, I hadn’t read any kind of creatures like them before and I enjoyed trying to figure out what they were and their intentions & motivations. This is definitely a great October read when you want something that will leave you feeling a bit jittery and jumping at small sounds!

Check out the excerpt below for a taste of how scary this story is!

Rating – 4 Stars

Excerpt

The screaming of the monster increased and the fear in my chest tightened as my finger moved over the sharp little wheel of the lighter.

Click.

I could hear the thing right on the other side of the door. I could feel the screech vibrate through me as the monster clicked its massive talons against the wood that was now the only thing separating me from it. I glanced up at the door, my breathing erratic as I tried to focus, as I tried to not let the fear take over.

Over and over my finger flew over the sharp wheel of the lighter, pressing again and again as only bright little sparks erupted from its tip. I fought the urge to scream, to grab the rail and fight the things that were on the other side of the door, but I wouldn’t win, not against two. Light was now my only option.

Everyone remembered the day the sky went black. The day the sun was wiped from the sky. They remember the wind as it brought in the darkness; the way the earth shook and everything changed.

Everyone remembered the screams as the darkness ate those who were out in the open, those who had surrounded themselves by light, and those who made noise.

Everyone remembered the voice from the sky and the way food disappeared.

At least, that's what I hoped. I hoped that there was an 'everyone' that would remember because I am not sure how many are left, how many survived. Or if anyone did.

I hoped that I wasn't alone.

I remembered that day.

I remembered because it was the day I became alone.

It was the day that everything was perfect until the monsters took it away. Then the house went silent and the birds stopped singing. It was the day when everyone disappeared, everyone except the boy, the only person I have seen in two years.

The boy I talk to through the glass.

About Rebecca Ethington

Rebecca Ethington is a story teller and author from Salt Lake City, Utah. She has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then in stage with years of theatrical performances. Rebecca’s first stint into the world of literary writing, The Imdalind Series, was released in October 2012 and since its release each book has been found in several top 100 lists on Amazon. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her crazy family.

FTC Disclaimer - I do receive some books directly from the authors or publishers for review purposes. Each review posted is my own personal opinion and any books I accept are not guaranteed a positive review. I do not receive monetary gain from reviewing those books I accept.

I include affiliate links to Amazon in my reviews and other posts. Those links will take the reader to Amazon.com and I do receive a small percentage of each purchase.

FTC Disclaimer- I do receive some books directly from authors/publishers for review purposes only. Each review posted is my own personal opinion and any books I do accept for review are not guaranteed a positive review. I do not receive any monetary gain from reviewing or promoting these books.